Seeing a Bee would probably make most of us worried because of that nasty habit they have of stinging you. But a government report released recently says we should be more worried for bees. It talks about some threats that are doing a lot of damage to bee populations overseas. So Matt found out what would happen if those threats made it here.

MATT HOLBROOK, REPORTER: So I'm putting on a suit because I'm about to go hang out with bees. Even though they're not going to hurt me, I'm just being super cautious. And obviously this is cool because I feel a bit like an astronaut.

And showing me around today are a couple of bee experts.

INAKI: My name's Inaki and I really like bees because it's such an interesting hobby and I've been interested in them for a long time.

NATALIE: I'm Natalie, I like bees because they're just really interesting creatures and the hives are all run by worker bees which are female, so girl power.

A little while ago they got involved with their school's bee club, where they learn all about bees and how to care for them.

NATALIE: How to open a hive how to check them now not to be scared of them, because they're not really scary, they'll only attack you if you aggravate them.

But why all the buzz over bees? Well, the obvious answer is this: bees make honey! And honey's something many of us love. They do it by collecting the nectar in flowers, and storing it in a special honey making stomach that they have. But honey isn't the only upside to these little insects. As bees go around from plant to plant, gathering nectar to make honey, they also spread pollen, which helps plants produce seeds and fruit.

That's a huge deal, because it's thought that pollination helps provide about a third of the world's food! So these little guys are super impressive!

MATT: Alright, we've got all our safety gear on, we're set I'm not going to get stung am I? I did get stung on the eyebrow once which was kind of painful, and then the bee died, so I won.

Because it's a bit chilly, it's not a great time of year for bees. So we're just going to have a quick look so we don't disturb them too much.

MATT: Look at all these bees!

NATALIE: That's all honey around the edges, and under here is pollen.

But while these guys seem to be doing OK, bees in other parts of the world are struggling. And a big reason is this. It's called the Varroa mite. It attaches itself to the bees, and infects them with viruses, which eventually kill it. Bee keepers are really worried because given the chance, the Varroa mite could wipe out Australia's honey bee populations.

INAKI: The Varroa mite would be really bad if it got to Australia, because the bees here haven't been exposed to it yet. It would just wipe out a lot of bees really quickly.

Here in Australia, the government's looking into the future of bees. A new report recommends getting more info about bee populations, and setting up funding to help if and when the Varroa mite makes it here.

For these bee heads, beekeeping is a lot of fun. But they're hoping to educate more people about why bees are so special and why we need to protect them.

So, when we dig into this sweet treat, it's worth remembering just how important bees can be.

Benjamin :

Zoee :

Mikayla :

11 Mar 2015 10:22:28am

If most of our honeybee population is wiped out which is a very high possibility than it will also effect our native bees and Australia's agricultural industry will be in extremely hot water as we make a lot of money from our agriculture industry (this includes bees as well)

Harrison :

lola :

GilbertBeekeeping :

29 Jul 2014 6:02:12pm

Well done Inaki & Natalie- great job of "bee promotion" you can be proud of yourselves as I'm sure your parents, Mr. H. and the school are as well. Filming bees on "almost " the coldest day of the year would have been a challenge